Tomorrow's Another Day
by LoVe-2-daNce
Summary: Mission's over. The Inception was a success. But now that the job is done, Ariadne comes to terms with the fact that she won't see Cobb ever again.
1. Chapter 1

_*__Deep breath* Okay this is my first ever fanfiction story and it might suck but please review, whether it's good or bad..No such thing as bad criticism right? I do add my own details to the character, but I don't change it to much. I'm sorry if its not to your liking. Oh and also, I'm really sorry if I confuse you with the tenses. I change between present and past. But I assure you that it's all in the present. Okay with that said...here we go. And please review!_

_I don't want to leave him,_ thinks Ariadne, the architect of the Dream Team.

They are on the plane back to Paris, everyone awake, shaken maybe, but awake. They had succeeded their mission: Inception. She turned to look at each team member and Robert Fischer, their Mark a.k.a. target. Eames, looked as smug as always, with a smirk on his face and a mischievous twinkle in his eyes that never disappeared. She received a polite wink from him, as he caught her watching him. She smiled slightly in turn. She next looks to Arthur, who fights often with Eames. He waved and in return she gave him the smile she had given Eames. Yusef and Saito sat blankly in their seats, staring out the window of the plane. And Fischer, sat with a thoughtful look swallowing his face. And then...she turns to steal a glance at the man that she, for some reason, can't get out of her mind. The man with the blue eyes that seem to make her melt on the inside. The man of mystery. The man who has captured her heart. She sighed, wishing she could somehow stop him from hurting himself...because of mal, his dead wife.

_He needs to let her go, _she thinks. She continues to look at him, Dominic Cobb a.k.a. Cobb, as he stares at nothing. She reluctantly tears her eyes away, knowing that he would never turn back to look at her. Not even if he knew she was looking.

"Helloooooooo...Earth to Ari..." She starts when she feels someone pinch her nose, swatting at the offending hand. She jumps up out of her seat and snaps at...

"Jesus Christ, Arthur! Don't scare me like that! What the hell are you doing?" He raises his hands in mock-surrender with his eyebrows raised.

"Seatbelt sign," he said as he pointed upwards towards the ceiling. She sighed, sitting back down and buckling my seatbelt. She could everyone's eyes on her. Eames with pure curiosity and mild amusement, that mischievous glint still there; Yusef with his confused, worried eyes; Saito looked concerned and he asked if she was okay, to which she just nodded; Arthur was looking at her with curiosity, worry, and confusion. Fischer was just...blank. Wanting for them to leave her alone, she leaned back in her seat, turning her head slightly to see Cobb. She wanted to take him in as much as she could while she ad the chance. In about 20 minutes, she would be saying her final goodbye to Cobb. Thinking that Cobb wasn't looking at her anymore, she gave him a once-over. He looked so...perfect, from his black dress shoes to his gray suit pants, held in place with a brown belt, to his tucked in blue and white horizontally striped dress shirt, to his gray tie, to his-

_Blue_

At that instant, all she saw was blue. She felt herself mentally falling into them, swimming in a beautiful shade of ocean, reluctant to get out. But she did eventually because the plane stopped. She blinked back into reality, leaving the comfort of his eyes. They were still looking at one another, neither wanting to tear away. But as everyone got up to grab their luggage, so did Ari and Cobb. She moved as fast as she could because she felt like crying. Now ariadne wasn't usually a crybaby, but that changed after she met Dominic Cobb. Actually, a lot of things changed for Ari ever since she met Cobb. She learned so much. He expanded her mental capacity as well as her emotional. She had never felt for someone like he did for Cobb...

As she exits the plane, she keeps a grip on her totem, a chess piece she created herself, while her other hand holds her duffel bag.

"Whoa, slow down there. You training for a marathon or something?" asks Arthur. Ariadne shakes hers head. "You know," he continues as if she made no movement at all, "this could be your last chance to talk to him..." She stops in her tracks to look at her soon-to-be roommate, and he does the same.

"What? Who?" He smirks.

"If you don't want to, then I suggest you start walking. Speak of the devil and the devil shall come..although that doesn't make sense since he has to walk this way..." Ari turns to see who he's looking at, and she sees Cobb, with Eames trailing behind him talking about having drinks and going out to clubs. He sees her looking and his blue eyes meet her brown ones. She smiles at him lightly, as a farewell.

"Farewell.." she whispers as she turns to face Arthur once again. The smirk is gone, now replaced by a sad, sympathetic smile. He puts his arm around her shoulders and ushers her to the baggage check.

"Come on, it'll be fine, Ari. Let's go home," he says with a smile. She laughs lightly. Arthur managed to convince her to stay with him, saying that his food is better and so is the entertainment. And an added bonus: Eames was going to stay there as well! Now who could possibly pass that up?

Everyone, not including Fischer, watched as Cobb went through security, worried that he would get stopped. But instead, he was welcomed back home with a smile. Ariadne let out a breath she didn't realize she was holding and she smiled, glad that he could go home and be with his kids again. After security cleared her, she found Arthur standing with Eames, Yusef, and Saito. No Cobb. She approached them with a smile, or what she hoped looked like a smile. It's not like she was exactly a ray of sunshine at the moment. She shook Saito's hand, as he thanked her and the 3 others for helping him. Ari just nodded, that "smile" still plastered on her face. As she, Arthur, and Eames parted ways with the 2 other men, she let the smile fade away. They grabbed a taxi, stuffing their bags in the trunk. Eames sat up front while Arthur and Ari sat in the back. She stared out at the pinkish-purplish sky. It was about 5:00, and she loved the way the sky looked when it had a purple tint to it. It made her peaceful, but for some reason, it wasn't helping her much today.

Arthur knew that she was hurting.

_That son of a bitch didn't even say goodbye_, he thought. Ari was like his little sister, and he hated seeing her get hurt. And right now? She looked like a wounded puppy. And there was nothing he could do to help her... They reached their destination, the three of them exiting the taxi, Eames paying the bill. They grabbed their bags from the trunk and entered Arthur's loft which was surrounded by little stores and vendors. Ari and Eames's jaws dropped, seeing the luxury of his humble home. Arthur set his bags down on the couch as did the 2 others.

"So you live alone in a fancy home like this and you won't even buy me a beer?" says typical Eames. Ari rolls her eyes as she roams around the 2 story house. The kitchen was covered in marble, the rest of the floor hardwood. There was a flat screen Tv placed above a fireplace. There were no photos on the mantle, which was unusual. There were 2 red love seats and 2 dark blue couches placed on top of a huge carpet.

"Come on and bring your stuff," Arthur said as he began to walk up the spiraling white carpet covered stairs. Eames and Ari grabbed their bags(Ari would have to go back to her dorm and get her clothes, while Eames would buy new clothes) and followed him up the stairs. There were 4 rooms, two on each side of hallway at the left of the stairs. The 2nd door on the left, he told Ari, was hers. The room across from it would be Eames's and the room next to hers was Arthur's himself. The 4th door was a bathroom, which apparently would belong to Ari. To the right of the hallway were 2 more rooms: another bathroom, which Eames and Arthur would have to share, and a "surprise door" as Arthur called it. He wouldn't tell either of them what the surprise was, but they planned on finding out sooner or later.

Arthur went back downstairs after telling the two of them to settle in. They both went to open their doors, their hands on the doorknobs. They opened their doors and entered. Ariadne looks around the room and places her bag on her large king sized bed. Across from the bed is a large wooden desk, that seemed to be polished. The room was painted a beautiful shade of purple, her favorite. Across from the entrance of the room was a guitar stand. Ari smiled, wanting to go back to her dorm right away to get her guitar. It brought her comfort, her guitar, as well as music, as well as the ocean...just like Cobb's eyes. Tears began to form at her eyes but she wiped at them fiercely. She knew Arthur wanted her to be happy, which is why he did all this. The decorating of the room, the guitar stand..She wouldn't cry, knowing it would hurt him.

_I won't cry. I won't cry._ That's what she kept telling herself. And for now, it would get through her thick skull. But then again, tomorrow's another day.

_Okay so did it suck? Did it rock? Please let me know what you think! And I'm having trouble with what to put in my next chapter, so f you have any ideas please let me know! Thanks!_


	2. Chapter 2

_Hello people! I'm sorry I haven't updated quickly. Thanks so much for your input and reviews! It really is my motivation. I promise to do better and make you proud. Thanks! And please review! _

Dominic Cobb, in his usual half formal half casual attire, is standing in front of his house. The house he once shared with his wife, Mal. Normally, his heart would clench at the thought of her, wishing that she was here. But for some reason, he didn't think about that. All he had on his mind was seeing his kids again. Taking a deep breath, he opened the door, setting his luggage down near the entrance. As he walked through the hallway full of memories, he wondered what his kids would think when they say him. Would they be mad at him for not being home? Or would they welcome him with warmth? He would find out soon...

Seeing the back of his childrens' heads, memories flooded back to his mind painfully, the memories of his dreams...where he only saw the back of their heads. The last image he saw before he had left.

"James! Phillipa!" he yells out to them. And it's at that moment that he realizes that this could all be a dream...and so he takes out his metal top and spins it on the dining table to his left. Too scared to see if it topples or not, he turn back to his children. To him, it seems as if everything is moving in slow motion, the top moving slowly, his childrens' heads turning around slowly. He half expected to wake up and find that he was asleep in the taxi he had come home in. But instead...

"Daddy!," his children yelled in unison. And just like that, he was running towards them, they doing the same. Everything felt right again, with his kids in his arms. He had tears in his eyes, blurring his vision of his kids' faces. He quickly blinked them away, wanting to take in the reality of his childrens' presence. He smiled at them warmly, they faces shining brightly with happiness.

"How have you guys been?" he asks them, acutely aware of the top that lies on the table, determining what is reality and what is not.

"I learned how to ride a two-wheeler!" yells Phillipa with joy. "Do you want to see, Daddy?" He nods and the three of them walk back out the door, Phillipa leading. She happily grabs her bike and puts on her safety gear. He sits on the curb with James in his lap, smiling brightly as Phillipa rides around in the street(its safe). After about ten minutes, she comes back.

"How was that, Daddy? Wasn't I good?" Cobb stands up, setting James on the floor but still holding his hand tightly. He nods at her with a smile on his face.

"Yes, sweetheart. You were amazing." He gives both his kids another hug. When they separate, Phillipa continues to ride her bike around, as Cobb and James continue to watch.

"So Jamie, how have you been?" he asks with genuine curiousity, the grin never leaving his face. At that moment, James jumps up and leads his father into the house. "Phillipa, come on. Let's go!" He makes sure that she comes in and she puts her bike back in its place. The three of them enter the door and go to James's room.

"Look, Daddy, look!" James says, pointing at a picture of two small handprints, one blue and the other green. The little boy giggles. "Guess who's hands those are. Come on, Daddy guess!" Cobb fakes of look of cluelessness.

"Hmm..well, I'm not sure...Why don't you just tell me, Jamey. Please?" he mock pouts," I'll never figure it out."

"Alright, fine, Daddy. I'll tell you since I love you so much." Cobb laughs and Phillipa goes to the kitchen for a glass of water. "It's mine!" James yells. He breaks out into hard, long laughter and Cobb does the same. But he stops when he see Phillipa with his totem in her right hand, a glass of orange juice in her left.

"Look, Daddy! Is this yours? I found it on the table." A feeling of panic runs through his entire body as he gently takes the totem from Phillipa's small hand.

"Was it spinning when you found it, sweetheart?" He turned his attention towards her. As she shook her head, a rush of relief overtook the panic and he let out a breath.

_This is real, _he thought. _I'm really here. And I owe it all to her...Ariadne..._

He's shaken out of his thoughts by James.

"Daddy, I'm hungry! Can we eat spaghetti?" Cobb nods as Phillipa asks the same thing.

"Anything you guys want." With that, Cobb places the totem in his pocket, and waits for his children to finish changing into clothes to go out. During that time, he thinks about Ariadne. About how she avoided his gaze in the airplane. About how beautiful she was, and strong. He wanted to see her, just a glimpse would do. It hurt to leave without saying one last goodbye to her. The truth was he didn't want to leave her. Ever. He couldn't get too close to her, no matter how much he wanted to. He would only hurt her..just like he did to Mal.

"Daddy, lets go!" said his kids in unison. He smiles as they walk out to see the sky, purple tinting the otherwise pink sky. For today, he would just enjoy the night with his kids, eating with them, going to an arcade maybe, and sitting at home talking about random things. Just like they used to do...

_But tomorrow_, he thought, _tomorrow is another day_.

_**I know I didn't mention Ariadne that much but I thought it was important that he spends time with his kids now that he finally has them back. But next chapter, there will most likely be a lot of romance going on. I promise! Thanks for reading and like always, I ask you to please review. If there's anything you would like me to insert in the story, please let me know! I'm always happy to hear from you! :)**_


	3. Chapter 3

Ariadne, Arthur, and Eames were eating yummy yummy Panda Express in the living room, where their food lay on the hardwood floor. Arthur had his back against the couch, where Ariadne and Eames sat.

"Wonder how Cobb is doing?" pondered Arthur, while stuffing Chinese food in his mouth. Ariadne stared at him in disgust, then said, "Me too. And could you please stop shoving all that food in there and then talking? It's disgusting."

"I know right?" said Eames while at the same time accidentally sputtering food across the table, onto Arthur's face...and into his open mouth already full of food. Ariadne began to laugh, trying to keep them in as Arthur rushed over to the sink as spat out all his food. She fought to catch her breath while hearing the garbage disposal run as it swallowed up Arthur's and Eames's chewed up food.

"I'm not hungry anymore," said Arthur. Ariadne nodded in agreement, feeling the laughter come to an end. She put her food on the coffee table. She lay back into the couch, wondering about Cobb and if he was happy with his kids, while Arthur and Eames argued restlessly over what to watch on TV. Ariadne made her escape, going up to her room. She entered and grabbed her guitar, which she had gotten from her dorm room that day. Eames had taken her, while Arthur said he would make dinner...which turned out to Panda Express.

She ran her hands over the smooth surface of her guitar, letting her eyes close against the feeling of it. For now, she didn't play a melody. She didn't exactly have the energy just yet...she wanted to see Cobb, just a glimpse. It would definitely help her some. She started at a knock on her door.

"Come in," she called out. The door opened to reveal Arthur, slicked back hair and all. He came in and closed the door, sitting next to her on her bed.

"Wanna talk about it?" he asked. He wanted to make her smile, kind of like she did downstairs, laughing her ass off at his demise. "Kind of" because it wasn't like how she used to smile...when Cobb was there. She shook her head.

"Nothing to talk about," she said, as she lay her guitar beside her on the bed. She played with her fingers, wringing her hands. Arthur let out a sigh and elbowed her playfully.

"Come on, it's me you're talking to," he said. He quit elbowing her when he saw a tear drop out from the corner of her eye. She quickly wiped it away, hoping he didn't see. Anger flared up inside of, touching his every nerve.

_That's it, _thought Arthur, _That is it!_

He stood up abruptly. "Get dressed. There's somewhere we need to go." With that he exited her room, going to his own to change as well. Ariadne stared at the shut door in shock. She had never seen him act like that.

"Guess I should do what he says...," she says out loud to no one. And so, she changes into a pair of blue jeans and an olive green t-shirt, hearing indistinct yelling outside her room. Grabbing a jacket, she exits her room to see Eames standing there.

"What the hell crawled up his ass and died?" he asked. She shrugged, as clueless as he was. Arthur came out of his room just then.

'Let's go," he said. Ariadne followed him out to his car, leaving Eames alone. Ariadne stayed quiet, not wanting to anger Arthur anymore. He turned his head to look at her, looking down like she had done something wrong.

"Ari, I'm not mad at you," he said. She just kept her head down, and nodded. He sighed and stayed quiet the rest of the trip. It was around 8 PM by the time Arthur stopped the car. She looked out the passenger seat window and held on tightly to her seat.

"No," she said. Arthur got out of the car and opened her door.

"Yes," he said. She shook her head with so much force, her brunette beautiful hair swatted him across the face harshly. He backed his face away, but continued to reach over and unbuckle her seatbelt. He'd carry her in if he had to. She started to yell and hit him...which was stupid since then, Cobb would come out of his house and wonder what the hell was going on...which is exactly what happened.

Arthur was trying to pull her out of the car, when...

"What the hell are you doing, Arthur?" Cobb yelled. Ariadne froze at his voice. _Oh crap._

Arthur finally managed to pull Ariadne out of the car.

"Finally," he said. But Ariadne didn't hear him. She just stood leaning against the car, staring into his eyes. The warmth and joy in his eyes was something she had never seen before. Sure he was kind to her and yes, there was sometimes that warmth, but now, it was completely..out there. It wasn't covered up with pain...Now it was meshed together with joy. She smiled at that slightly. It brought her at ease, seeing him smile.

He was shocked to see her there, in front of his house. He was even more shocked because he felt so glad to see her. He felt that now, everything was complete. She smiled, which made him grin lightly in return. He gave her a once-over, a thorough once-over. She felt every inch of her body that was touched by his soft blue eyes warm up, no burn up. She blushed furiously as his eyes reached her brown ones once again. She didn't notice until she heard the engine rev, that Arthur was going to just leave her there with Cobb. She blinked away from his eyes to turn at Arthur.

"Arthur..." she said with suspicion and venom.

He smiled sweetly. "Yes, dear?" She narrowed her eyes.

"What the hell are you doing?" she said through clenched teeth.

"Well, what does it look like I'm doing? Honestly, Ari, I thought you were smarter than that." As the car started to move, Ariadne lost her balance, as she was leaning on the car. She thought she was going to fall onto the cold, hard floor, but instead she fell into warm strong arms. She looked up and was washed away by the deep blue of is eyes. She tried to stand up, but he held her even closer, wrapping his arms around her midriff, pulling her body against his completely. She didn't resist. She wanted this warmth, needed it. But then...

"You left. Without saying goodbye," she said. And with that, their little moment was over. His arms had loosened around her, shocked to hear the intensity of the pain and anger in her voice. She stood up and stepped away from him. She pulled her phone out of her pocket as Cobb stayed sitting on the floor. She dialed Arthur's number, but hands grabbed her phone and shut it off.

"Hey!," she yelled at Cobb, who held her phone. "Give it back!" She reached for her phone, but he grabbed her hand, pocketing her phone with his other hand. As soon as his other hand was free, he grabbed her around the waist and pulled her close again. She froze as his warm breath hit her face.

"I'm sorry," he said, his hand still grabbing hers, their faces inches away from each other. Ariadne felt her lips start to quiver and tears welled up in her eyes, as all the pain cam back to her.

"You just left, Cobb. No last words," she said in a whisper. Her tears brimmed over and fell down her cheeks. He released her hand to wipe away her tears. It hurt him greatly to see her like that. He caused that pain...but he could make it go away...

"I had to. To protect you," he said. She looked up into his eyes.

"Protect me from what?"

"Hurting you. But I guess my plan didn't work out quite well, did it?" She shook her head, averting her gaze from his. But he grabbed her chin and turned her towards him. He leaned in close, wanting to take away all that pain when-

"Daddy!" said Phillipa. He pulled away from her face to look at his daughter. But he kept his arm around her waist.

"Yes, sweetheart. What is it?" He watched as his daughter walked up to Ariadne, and cocked her head in curiosity.

"Who are you? My names is Phillipa Cobb. What's yours? Are you Daddy's friend?" Phillipa's eyes were wide with pleasure as Ariadne replied.

"My name is Ariadne. Yes, Phillipa, I'm your daddy's friend." She couldn't help but notice how her eyes were the same beautiful shade as Cobb's. Suddenly, Phillipa grabbed Ari's hand and pulled her toward the house, calling for James. Cobb's arm fell from around her waist and immediately she wanted him there again. She looked back at him with wide eyes, then turned back to the girl leading her into the house. He followed with a quick pace to keep up with the two girls. Ariadne looked back in shock as she felt a big hand wrap around her small one. She saw him smiling, nodding that it was okay. She turned back forward.

_Come on Ariadne. It's just 2 kids. Strengthen up! _she told herself. And with that she entered the house, Cobb holding onto one hand, and Phillipa grabbing onto her other.

_**Okay, well, that's the end of this chapter. But expect another one soon! Thanks for the reviews! And as always, your comments are welcome, as well as your suggestions on what to write next. Thank you!**_


	4. Chapter 4

"James! James! Come!" yelled out Phillipa. She released Ariadne's hand, telling her,"I'll be right back. I'm going to get Jamie! Don't o anywhere!" Ariadne just watched as the little girl with Cobb's eyes and Mal's face turned the corner in the hallway. She let out a breath, sharply aware that Cobb was still holding onto her hand. They were at the threshold of the house, not moving, the tension between them burning with extreme intensity. She unwrapped her hand from his and he let out a sigh.

_I'm going to make this right,_ he told himself. He led her into the living room, where he motioned for her to take a seat on the couch. She did so, cocking her head at the grand, beautiful piano in the corner of the room. It drew her attention greatly. Only _his_ voice could break her out of her trance.

"Would you like something to drink?" he asked, ready to head towards the kitchen.

"No thank you. Do you play the piano?" she couldn't help but ask.

"No," he said as he took her a seat on the love seat across from her. "Mal did. She used to play it for the kids when they couldn't sleep. Ariadne nodded. "Why do you ask?" He noticed how she couldn't seem to take her eyes off of it, even though he was talking to her.

"It's just so beautiful," she said with a slight smile. She started at the sight of two kids rushing towards in her a blur as they jumped on the couch beside her. She looked at them in turn. The little boy, James, she assumed, also had the hypnotizing eyes that he inherited from Cobb. They smiled up at her as if she were a shiny new toy. She couldn't help but smile back.

"Hi, you must be James," she said to the little boy beside her. He nodded with force, his smile growing even bigger, as if he were happy to hear that she knew who he was. She giggled and he grabbed her finger, pulling her to the piano. She blinked.

_Random..._she thought. She looked at him questioningly as he pointed to the piano.

"Play, play..." he said. "Pweas," he added as if it was an afterthought. She looked to Cobb, needing his permission to do so. It didn't feel right to her, playing Mal's piano. Her brown eyes met his blue ones. He smiled.

"Yes, please play for us," he said. She looked at each Cobb in turn. Phillipa had wide eyes and a smile that reached her eyes. She had her chin resting on the armrest of the couch. James had a small grin, hoping that she'd say yes. And Cobb looked at her with curious eyes. She took a deep breath, as if she were performing in front of millions of people. Her finger still in James's, she took a seat on the piano bench. And then James released her finger and ran to the couch, climbing up to sit next to her sister. Once more, she looked at her audience one by one. The siblings both had excited looks on their faces, and Cobb stood up to take a seat next to his kids, who climbed into his lap. He looked at her with a smile, encouraging her. She turned back to the keys that lay in front of her. Resting her fingers lightly on the keys, she closed her eyes.

She began to play a melody that she had written a couple of years ago. Stepping on the pedals when necessary, the melody filled the air, as her fingers flitted across the keyboard. Cobb and his children watched her with amazement and wonder in their eyes. He had never known that she could play the piano.

_Beautiful,_ he thought. And he knew he was talking about Ariadne, all of her, as well as the piece she was playing. He thought it sounded like her. He didn't think that made that much sense, but it was what his heart told him. As Ariadne continued to play, he thought, _my heart. I thought I lost my heart when Mal died..._

Ariadne allowed thoughts and images of Cobb fill her mind. She had titled the piece "First Love". She smiled because she had told herself she would only play the piece for someone she loved dearly and held in her heart...Meaning the only time she played the song was when she was writing it. Cobb made her like this and even though he had hurt her, she felt nothing but love in her heart. As soon as the melody was finished, applause filled the air in place of the music that was there before. She opened her eyes and stood, facing her audience. James and Phillipa ran towards her, each of them wrapping their arms around her legs. She smiled down at them and they returned the favor, although for them, the smile had never left their faces. She turned her smile towards Cobb, who stood and was looking at her like she was Beethoven. Their eyes stayed connected, both reluctant to look away, as the children began to tell her how great she was.

"Thank you," she said. The thanks was directed at all three Cobbs, even though the eldest in the room hadn't said a word. But he knew what she was thanking him for. For allowing her to play the piano. Mal's piano. He loved how she seemed to understand how he would feel. But it shocked him when he realized that she was wrong. He knew she thought that it hurt him to let another person play on his wife's piano, but instead, his heart was filled with joy, and Mal was the last person he was thinking about. He just took in the aura and beauty of the girl in front of him. Ariadne.

"Kids, go get ready for bed," he said, his eyes still locked with Ari's. They complained, wanting to stay with Ariadne a little more.

"But daddy, I want to play with...uhmm...how do you say your name?" asked Phillipa with wide eyes. Ariadne smiled, finally tearing her eyes away form Cobb to look at the little girl beside her.

"You can call me Ari." Phillipa nodded.

"I want to play with Ari more! Please, Daddy?" Cobb couldn't say no to is children and as he was about to say they could stay up a while longer(it was already 9 pm), Ari spoke.

"How about I stay until you two fall asleep?" she proposed. It touched her heart to hear the kids want her there. She looked to Cobb again. "If that's okay with your father...?" she added uncertainly. He nodded.

"Sure, why not." The children squealed joyfully. "But, I want you in your PJ's, your teeth brushed, and your breath smelling minty fresh." They nodded and ran to their rooms to obey their father's conditions. Ariadne raised her eyebrow at Cobb. "What?"

She chuckled. "I'm just so used to you saying things related to work...It feels kinda weird hearing you say things like 'PJ's' and 'minty fresh'." She sputtered out a laugh as he chuckled. He motioned once again for Ari to sit on the couch. She did so and he sat down next to her. Their legs brushed slightly and he reached over and grabbed her hand and she didn't resist. They looked at each other and as their eyes met, they felt a jolt rush through their bodies, the places where their bodies touched burning.

And in that moment, they felt right. Like they belonged right there, next to each other, passion filling their eyes.

_**Okay, so, uhmmm there will be more to this story. And I know this is a crappy way to end a chapter, but thanks for sticking with me throughout the story. Please review! :)**_


	5. Chapter 5

_**Alright well, this is the last chapter of my story. Thank you so much for all your comments and support! Oh and also, the melody that Ariadne was playing in chapter 4 was "First Love' by: Utada Hikaru. Once again, thank you so much! :) **_

By the time the children fell sleep, it was 10 PM. Ariadne and Cobb were both exhausted. They had spent the past hour playing hide-and-seek and chasing each other randomly around the house. It made Ariadne happy to know that Cobb wasn't just a stiff business type man. He could be that, but he could also be a happy, laughing, carefree father who loved his children with all is heart. After Cobb tucked in the kids, he walked back out to the living room to see an exhausted Ariadne resting on the couch. He laughed at her expression, which caused her to open her eyes and look at him.

"Don't laugh. I never knew kids could be so exhausting," she said. She closed her eyes again, resting her head against the back of the couch. She felt the couch move as Cobb took a seat beside her.

"Yeah," he said in a voice that matched her expression, "I had forgotten how tiring they could be. I just focused on how much I wanted to see their faces." She looked into his eyes then, feeling guilty for bringing it up.

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to-" He cut her off, waving his hand dismissing her apology.

"Don't worry about it." And still looking in each other's eyes, they fell into a deep silence. He thought he knew what she was thinking about. The airport, when he had just left her, without saying goodbye. She thought she knew what he was thinking about.

_Mal._ She sighed, looking away from the beautiful blue of his eyes, directing her gaze towards the piano once again. _Why did I fall for this man? This man with so much pain. This man who was still deeply in love with his dead wife. Why was it that Dominic Cobb drew my attention so much?_ _Why oh why?_

Cobb continued to look at her, wanting nothing but her in his arms.

"Ari..." She started when she heard her name being whispered, feeling his hot breath on her cheek and ear. She turned to see his face inches from hers. She stood up abruptly.

"Could I have my phone back?." He had put her phone in his pocket. "I should be getting home now," she said coldly. She vividly remembered when they were at the airport. She remembered how she felt, what the day was like, the weather, how Arthur looked at her constantly with worry filling his brown irises. Cobb stood up, standing directly in front of her.

"No. You are not leaving this house until we talk," he said firmly, but softly. He needed to straighten things out with her. She looked at his chest, not wanting to let down her guard like she did when she was with the kids. And she knew for a fact that his eyes, they could melt down every instinct, every part of her body.

"We have nothing to talk about. So," she tried to sidestep him to get to his house phone, but he stepped in her way, grabbing her arm gently.

"Please," he said pleadingly. "I didn't want to just leave like that Ariadne. But I had to." She shook her head, now looking at her feet.

"No, you didn't have to. You could've at least said-" she stopped due to the warmth on her lips. He snaked his arm around her waist, his free hand drawing circles on hers. She closed her eyes against the rush of blood flowing through her body. The hand that was not in contact with Cobb's was grabbing onto his shirt tightly, feeling that if she let go, he would disappear. With Mal. She pulled back and breathed in much needed oxygen as did Cobb.

"Mal..," she said. He shook his head, looking into her eyes with...love. The same look she saw him give Mal in his dreams.

"No. I will always love Mal." Ariadne's heart broke at those words." But she is gone. And I have accepted that. Now, I just want you, here, with me. Forever." She smiled, finally understanding.

_He said nothing to me at the airport because...he didn't want to hurt me like he did Mal..._

"Forever," she whispered, as she leaned in to kiss him once again. This time, it was more passionate, and in that moment, it was just the two of them together. Them, and their souls, their passion, their love for each other.

"Yes," yelled a male voice that sounded suspiciously like... The couple(COUPLE!) turned to see Arthur, Eames, and Saito looking through the window beside the piano. Ariadne laughed and blushed at being caught kissing Cobb. Cobb, however, just leaned in and swooped in for another breath-taking(literally breath0taking) kiss. Ari didn't resist. She faintly heard the cheers of the three men outside, as she fell into Cobb's eyes, and he in hers. This was what they needed. This what all they need. Each other, and their friends to support them, and of course, the children.

Yes, it seemed tomorrow really was another day. A good one at that.

And life continued, Ari and Cobb dating, approved of by Miles. The children, of course, accepted her as a part of the family. Soon, she moved in with the Cobbs.

"I love you, Ariadne Cobb," he said, trailing light kisses on her eyelids, what he did every time they went to sleep.

"And I," she said in reply, "love you, Dominic Cobb," she finished, leaning into his embrace as they fell asleep, dreaming of nothing but each other.

_**Well, that's the end of my story. I really hoped you enjoyed. Thank you so much for supporting me throughout my whole story. It meant a lot. And if you wish, I will try to write another story soon. Thank you again! :)**_


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